1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for the stable mounting and securing of antennas and the like. The invention has particular utility for the mounting and securing of an antenna upon the roof of a building
2. Description of the Related Art
As cellular phones, facsimile machines and other wireless technology have proliferated, greater numbers and amounts of telecommunications support equipment has become necessary. In many instances, antennas and other support equipment are mounted on the roofs of buildings. In part, this is done to take advantage of the height of the existing building in providing a signal that can pass over obstructions.
Antennas for such systems require stable mounts that provide a substantially vertically-disposed shaft or pole to which the antenna can be clamped. Unfortunately, currently known antenna mounts have significant disadvantages. Many systems are stabilized by affixation to the roof or other parts of the building structure. Usually, such affixation is accomplished by using screws, anchors or other connectors that are secured within the roofing structure, thereby damaging the roofing material and contributing to leakage into the building. Further, many conventional antenna mounting structures have sharp edges and corners that can cut or gouge the roofing material, again damaging the roof material, particularly over the long term. Examples of such systems are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. D312,257 and D359,272. Because the support members of these systems are adapted to be affixed to the rooftop, thereby transmitting their loading into structural members in the roof, they do not incorporate mechanisms that effectively distribute weight forces across the surface of the roof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,642 describes an antenna mounting wherein few, if any, connectors are required to secure the structure to a rooftop. Unfortunately, this mounting also provides sharp corners on its feet that can potentially damage the rooftop. The feet are secured to the rooftop using adhesive, which may break down over time allowing the mounting to become unstable. Each of the four legs of this mounting can be weighted by placing weight, such as concrete or the like, inside of the feet of the leg assembly. However, the volume available for disposing weights within the foot is limited. Thus, the amount of weight that can be added in this fashion is also limited. In addition, it is suggested that the feet be filled with concrete or the like after placement of the feet upon the roof. This poses practical logistical problems in pouring the liquid concrete mix on a rooftop. In addition, the mounting has a number of individual components that must be brought onto the rooftop, sometimes separately, and then assembled in a time consuming process.
A further disadvantage of the mounting structure stems from the fact that the upper surface of the foot is used for the attachment of struts and the like. Therefore, placing any additional weights atop the foot risks damaging these attachments. Further, if such additional weights were placed atop the foot, the weight forces they would contribute would be concentrated at the point where the weight is placed since the foot lies in contact with the roof surface and lacks any structure for distributing the weight forces.
A related problem with all such mounting systems that are affixed to rooftops using connectors or adhesives is that, when the mount becomes affixed to the building, it becomes a "live load" and, therefore must meet different, often more restrictive requirements, for total load and load distribution.
It would be an improvement to have devices that address the problems of the prior art.